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Paper Mario: Team Up!
Paper Mario: Team Up! is a ''Paper Mario'' game written sequentially by several Fantendo users, in the style of a forum game. Each user must write a chapter, introducing characters and abilities as needed, before culminating in a boss battle for one of the twelve Arrow Fragments. Between each chapter is an intermission meant to smooth details out in the transition between authors. We don't know what to expect in advance, so let's get into it! Announcements and the user listing can be found here. Story Prologue It's a dark, quiet night at Mario's house when the red-garbed plumber hears the door creak open. Cautious and wary of intruders, he jumps out of bed and quickly flashes on the lights. To his surprise, the visitors were none other than Princess Peach and the clumsy mailman Parakarry—who both share their own air of shock! Peach explains to Mario that Parakarry delivered a message and a package to her doorstep, which the Paratroopa hands over for Mario to see. Deep down, Peach feels that the sender had to be Bowser. No other person would be this direct in terms of a threat, and the Koopa King had struck one too many times for it to be anyone else. Peach asks Mario if he will come once again to battle against Bowser in what seems certain to be a plain, ordinary adventure. He agrees, and the trio sets off, leaving the now-awakened Luigi to ponder what happened in the kitchen. The trio takes a plane to the most populated of the Junction Islands, Concentrum City. Mario and Peach marvel from the plane windows at the sleek design of the city, and at all of the citizens bustling about in their everyday lives. After the plane lands, Peach searches the surroundings for trouble, then asks Mario to help explore the town. The player gains control of Mario, who is tasked with exploring the hub of Concentrum City and learning the layout of the town. Before Mario can make much progress, he is greeted by Merlon, who welcomes him to the city. They talk for a bit about Concentrum's culture and role as a hub for many people, as well as the origin of the town's founder Aro. Once Merlon keeps volunteering to upgrade Mario's stats for a small fee, Mario becomes slightly annoyed. He explains that he has something important to do, and Merlon realizes that he also has important matters. They part ways. Eventually, Mario comes across Bowser, who is evilly laughing to himself in an evil manner while nobody else seems to notice. Mario follows the Koopa King into a nearby temple-like building that sticks out against the bleeding-edge aesthetic of the rest of the city. He watches Bowser stare at a large statue of a bow and arrow, grinning sinisterly. Mario jumps into action and pulls out his hammer to challenge Bowser. A tutorial battle against Bowser begins. He can't help but mock Mario between turns, resulting in what is effectively a sarcastic tutorial for the battle menu, Action Commands, and blocking. Bowser is swiftly defeated, and the impact of Mario's battle action launches him into the statue. He lands defeated at Mario's boots. Bowser grumbles to himself before righting himself, but his complaints are cut short when Mario breaks eye contact. They both look at the statue worriedly as it breaks into eleven arrow-shaped pieces. A bow-shaped sprite rises from the wreckage, fearfully asking the rivals why they caused this damage to her home. Before Mario or Bowser can explain, Merlon enters the temple, recognized by Bowser as the person who told him about the statue in the first place. Merlon drops his façade and reveals his antagonistic nature as he takes the Arrow Fragments, opens portals to various unknown locations, and throws all of them inside. This way, Merlon reasons, no one will be able to grow to his power, including the useless royalty already lording over the world. Merlon dashes outside, and though the three other characters try to follow him, he disappears during the room transition. The sky outside is monochrome, making it clear that Merlon's upgrade powers are already impacting reality. Once Peach joins the group, the bow character, named Boulianne, explains their dire situation, and gives Mario an empty compass medallion. When an Arrow Fragment is placed inside, it points the way to the next. Cleverly, Boulianne has been holding a twelfth Arrow Fragment all along. When Mario puts it into the compass, it springs to life and guides westward. Mario's companions wish him luck, as he finds his way to the western part of town under bleak skies. Chapter 1: Cruisin' For A Bruisin' (WesternSkies) Mario and Boulianne arrive at the docks at the west of town, hoping to find the next Arrow Fragment. Unfortunately for them, it seems the Arrow Fragment is somewhere outside of town. Boulianne suggests they take a boat to a neighbouring island and continue the search there. Upon returning to Bowser and Peach and delivering the news, Bowser reluctantly makes a proposition. Bowser guides Mario to the Koopa Kruiser - a massive vessel in Bowser's likeness. It's a wonder they didn't spot it before. The crew on board panic once they see Mario stepping onto the ship, and get into battle formations, aiming cannons at the hero. Bowser quickly diffuses the tension, telling them that Mario's working for him, annoying Boulianne. Quickly, Mario is sat on a lounge chair and given a cold drink. Boulianne asks Mario if he's used to Bowser's minions treating him like royalty, and takes Mario's silence as a no. As they sail through the vast ocean, Bowser seems to be pretending to be a pirate, yelling to his crew to hoist the sails and calling them landlubbers. He's really enjoying himself. The casual cruising is interrupted when the Arrow Fragment starts spinning wildly. Bowser asks what's going on with it, before a massive blue tentacle splits the ship in half. Mario, Bowser, Boulianne, and some of the crew wash up on a small island. The party get up and, quite literally, wring themselves dry. Bowser is absolutely outraged at his ship being destroyed at the bottom of the ocean, but he shuts up when a young girl in blue, who has evidently been standing there the whole time, speaks up. Sashimi goes on to explain that this island is part of Tidal Town, a town comprised solely of people who washed up nearby over the years. She offers you a private tour of the town, which appears to be comprised solely of buildings and pathways on stilts over the ocean, as well as connecting onto various small islands surrounding the town. In the midst of the tour, Mario interrupts Sashimi to tell her that they're looking for Arrow Fragments, and were wondering if she knows of any. She says that she'll check in the library for anything relating to Arrow Fragments, and heads off. Talking to villagers, you find out that everybody has made their peace with being cast away here. After inquiring about Sashimi, the villagers tell you that she's not actually a princess of anything. She washed up here not long after the town was established, and works to impress and earn the approval of some sort of paternal figure. One villager - who is very annoyed by Sashimi's perkiness - theorises that the person she's trying to impress intentionally threw her overboard. One thing is for certain: her upbeat and confident personality is a facade to hide her hurt. Mario decides it's time to head back to the library and see how Sashimi's getting on. Just as he's about to head inside, however, he hears a chilling scream that shatters some windows in Tidal Town. The villagers simply act frustrated, as if this is a normal occurrence. Following the source of the sound leads Mario to the home of a Lochlady standing on her balcony. The Lochlady introduces herself as Adagio, and explains that her treasured microphone fell into the ocean while she was rehearsing her singing. She requests that you accompany her to the bottom of the ocean and get her microphone back for her. Adagio explains that she would go herself, but she's terrified of Cheep Cheeps. Mario reluctantly agrees to get Adagio's microphone, after she makes a real drama about it. Mario takes a deep breath and jumps into the water, followed by Boulianne and Adagio. Various water-based enemies appear on their journey to the bottom. When they finally reach the ocean bed, they find Adagio's microphone. She's overjoyed, and thanks Mario with a kiss. When Mario opens his mouth to tell her it's no problem, he suddenly realises he's out of air. Boulianne and Adagio are confused, until they eventually come to the realisation that Mario needs air. They argue about who will bring him to the surface, before Adagio has an epiphany. She sings into her microphone, causing water to separate away from the party, creating an air pocket. Adagio has joined your party! Using Adagio's air pocket ability, the party swim back up to the surface, where Adagio explains that she's eternally grateful to Mario, and wants to join him on his journey. Mario makes his way back to Sashimi's house, where he finds a map of the nearby charted ocean. Boulianne notices an underwater cave marked on the map, shaped like an arrow. She remarks that the Arrow Fragment must be there. Sashimi returns, and Boulianne asks her about the cave. Sashimi explains that the cave is known as Gooper Blooper Gorge. It's extremely dangerous, and it's practically a dungeon. Word among the townsfolk says that the cave was designed to trap the Gooper Blooper inside. Boulianne and Mario consult, and come to the agreement that they should check there. Sashimi says that she will follow you, because it's her duty as "princess of the ocean". She tells Mario that she'll be useful, knowing the ocean like the back of her hand. Mario, Boulianne, Adagio, and Sashimi get in a boat and set sail. As they make their way to Gooper Blooper Gorge, Sashimi talks to the group. She remarks on notable objects they sail past, explains the dangers of Gooper Blooper Gorge, and talks about her father - presumably the person she's trying so hard to impress. Finally, the gang arrive at Gooper Blooper Gorge. Using Adagio's powers, they swim into the cave and begin making their way to the bottom of the dungeon. The cave is filled with both land and water enemies, as well as several areas where you'll need to use Mario's hammer and Adagio's abilities. After getting through several levels of the dungeon, the gang finally reach the bottom. Sure enough, the Arrow Fragment is waiting on a pedestal in the middle of a large body of water. Mario is about to swim over to it, when the Gooper Blooper emerges from the water, triggering a boss fight. Mario and his partners fight the Gooper Blooper, and defeat it with ease. Boulianne remarks that the fight seemed awfully easy, but shrugs it off. The party, having defeated the monster guarding the treasure, set out to claim their Arrow Fragment. Mario picks it up and holds it up triumphantly. You got an Arrow Fragment! The Arrow Fragment is taken out of Mario's hands in the middle of his victory pose, by a long tentacle resembling that of the Gooper Blooper's. Sashimi's tentacle turns back into her arm, and she is holding the Arrow Fragment. She lets out a devious laugh. Sashimi removes the gem from her tiara, and, using the power of the Arrow Fragment, upgrades herself to grow bigger. Once she's big enough, she slots the Arrow Fragment into her tiara. Her hair comes loose, and is revealed to be made of water. Sashimi notices the Gooper Blooper's motionless body, and smiles mischievously. The Gooper Blooper is surrounded by arrows, and merges with Sashimi, giving her tentacles and a rather monstrous appearance. Sashimi attacks Mario, triggering an intense boss fight. Mario and his party defeat the upgraded Sashimi, separating her and the Gooper Blooper. Boulianne can't help but feel sorry for Sashimi, and feels bad for defeating her. Mario and the gang won, but it doesn't feel like a win. After all, Sashimi was just a young girl out to make her father figure proud. The Arrow Fragment landed back on its pedestal, and Mario takes it. You got an Arrow Fragment! For real, this time... Boulianne can't stomach calling it a job finished while leaving the unconscious Sashimi down at the bottom of the dungeon. She and Mario use the Arrow Fragment's power to heal Sashimi. She wakes up, and sees the three people who defeated her standing over her. She breaks down in tears, begging them to forgive her. Mario hugs the girl, while Boulianne tells her that she's proud. Chapter 1 Intermission Mario, Adagio, and Boulianne return to Concentrum City with spirits high, having obtained the first Arrow Fragment from Tidal Town. Sashimi had been assisted in getting back to town by the trio, her secret kept safe now that she had asked for forgiveness, and they had set off to see if putting the fragment back into Aro's statue would do anything. The statue didn't do much but emit a small burst of light. Mario felt a warm glow surround him as power surged through his body, a sensation that felt somewhat like experiences he had gone through in the past. However, to his surprise, the fragment merely fell out of the statue afterwards. Boulianne simply thought for a second as to why the fragment didn't return to the statue, then decided that it would be for the better- after all, they would need to put the newly obtained fragment in the compass to locate the next piece. Placing it in, the trio followed the compass to their next destination. Chapter 2: It's A Dry, Dune, and Dusty Desert (OwTheEdgehog) The compass leads the group to the eastern part of town; a fairly large town in a desert, with a sign saying "You are now entering...Dusty-Dune Desert", in which they enter. Mario and his gang are greeted by an inhabitant as they set foot. Surely enough, this Fern guy is telling them not to go too far out as a certain bandit is taking stuff from people who do travel far out in the desert, and other enemies are all around. Normally, the three would not dare to go out, but Boulianne tells him that they have to find the Arrow Fragment, which the compass tells them that it landed somewhere here. They press on forward, and Fern hopes for the best they manage to survive out there...and not get their stuff stolen. Outside the village are enemies like Pokeys, new enemies called Catchis, and Flounderflages. There are also some Tweesters along the path that Mario can use to reach other places that he normally cannot, not even with Adagio's air pocket ability. As they reach farther out, they come across a Yoshi Sphinx in the distance, which catches the group's attention. While they are not looking, someone swoops right in and takes about half of Mario's coins and items, and even steals Mario's hammer and Adagio's microphone. The bandit escapes with Mario's stuff, despite Boulianne's warnings, and the group chase after him on foot. You know what this means, a chase minigame! Hooray...anyways. Upon catching up to him, a mid-boss battle commences. Since Mario does not have his hammer, he cannot perform any hammer attacks, and Adagio cannot perform any special attacks involving her microphone due to her microphone being stolen as well. Despite this setback, the bandit is pummeled and defeated. Mario gets back his coins, items, and even his hammer. Adagio gets her microphone back as well. Mario helps the bandit up on his feet. He apologizes for taking Mario's stuff, and can make up for it by being his sidekick, helping him out on his adventure, or whatever. Mario and the rest agrees on this, as long as he does not try to steal from them or any innocents again, or double-cross them in the end. The bandit keeps this promise, and introduces himself as Vandy once he joins. Vandy has joined your party! Using the whip he used during his battle to steal an item from Mario, Vandy can bring back items or get a First Strike from a distance. As they walk back to where the Yoshi Sphinx was, and use a Warp Pipe to reach where it is and enter inside from the entrance. Here, they face off against Pokey Mummies, Swoops, Dry Bones, Stone Beetles, (Stone) Spikes, and fought as mini-bosses, Stone Chomps. With the combination of Adagio and Vandy's special abilities, they managed to reach the room with lots of inactive Phanto Masks an Arrow Fragment on its pedestal. Like a fool, Vandy quick rushes to the pedestal and takes the fragment off it, his eyes widening the entire time. The area starts to shake violently, and the Phanto Masks in the room come to life, with the large one coming to life first. The Large Phanto Mask merges the smaller masks to create a creature known as "The Phantitan", and the Chapter's boss battle commences. The Phantitan is defeating, separating the Phanto Masks from each other and returning back into their inactive forms. Vandy gives Mario the Arrow Fragment he took from the pedestal. You got an Arrow Fragment! The group come back to the town at the beginning of Dusty-Dune Desert, with everyone shocked to see that they have a bandit in their group, especially Fern. Vandy tells them that he has put his old thieving ways in history, and decided to join Mario in his quest, with slightly calms the citizens, though some aren't so keen on the bandit. They exit the town and back to Concentrum City. Chapter 2 Intermission Mario, now teamed up with a new ally in the form of Vandy, placed the Arrow Fragment inside the empty compass, returning the fragment he had just used into Aro's statue. Boulianne once again thanked Mario for being so willing to help her out in her expedition. They were about to set off to wherever their next adventure took them, when they were interrupted by a Toad looking for Mario's attention. According to the Toad, Princess Peach had decided that she needed to help Mario somehow instead of just sitting around, waiting for him to save the day alone once again. Nobody knew where she had gone, but it was possible that Mario might come across her at some point in his journey. With that information in mind, Mario and company set off once again. Chapter 3: The Song of the Sniffling (IncarnateParanoia) This time, the compass leads to the northernmost edge of Concentrum City. However, when Mario and company arrive, they find that the bridge in that direction is closed to the public. By asking around a little, they learn from a local that there is nothing but a glacial wasteland in that direction anyway. Boulianne has her doubts, however, and asks if there's anyone nearby who would know more about the place beyond the wall and could get them across the bridge. The local points them in the direction of Goomarich, a retired explorer who was living close to the Arrow Temple. The heroes briefly bemoan the backtracking before heading back in that direction. Goomarich is in a sour mood after some kids discredited him as a "stubborn old coot," however, and completely refuses to take any visitors. Vandy suggests that they break in instead, and Boulianne is forced to go with that plan simply due to the urgency of the situation. The party finds a window left ajar, uses Vandy's lasso to pull it open, and jumps through it and into Goomarich Manor. Unsurprisingly, Goomarich is outraged at first... but then he recognizes Mario, and his mood instantly brightens. It turns out that he is an old friend of Professor Frankly, and that he holds some admiration for Mario after hearing all about how he had helped Frankly with the Thousand-Year Door. After exchanging apologies - Mario and co. for coming in uninvited, and Goomarich for being so rude in the first place - the heroes explain their adventures up to that point. Goomarich is enraptured by the tale, and admits that it made him nostalgic for his own adventuring days. With their newfound ally brought up to speed, they then ask him about the valley to the north. Boulianne hypothesizes that Merlon broke the seal on Sniffleheim Keep to hide the Arrow Fragment inside. She asks Goomarich if he can get them across the bridge. He goes a step further and asks if he can actually go there with them. He admits to not being much use in fights due to some back problems, but he offers his experience as an explorer in exchange. The party agrees, and with their new companion in tow, they return to the north side of town, where Goomarich convinces the bridge guards to let them cross into Jotundra Valley, where the next installment of the adventure properly begins. The path to the Keep is a treacherous climb across the side of the valley. There are large sections where a thick mist obscures the ground around the party, but Adagio's air pocket ability is able to clear it easily, allowing Mario to navigate the terrain safely. It doesn't take too long for the group to arrive at the foot of Sniffleheim Keep. The massive iron gate was clearly once locked, but all the locks have been totally undone, and now lie scattered at the castle's doorstep. Goomarich advises against entering, but understands that the fate of the world may rest in them finding the Arrow Fragments, so he does not object any further when Mario enters the castle... The halls of the castle are caked with slippery ice leading straight into gaping pits, so Mario's route through it are limited to a select few rooms. Throughout his explorations, he can hear the distant rumbling snore... More TBA! Characters Playable Other Locations Trivia * Chapter 3 contains multiple nods to Norse mythology. ** The chapter's name, The Song of the Sniffling, is a nod to the Nibelungenlied (translated as The Song of the Nibelungs), an old poem about a dragon-slayer named Siegfried. ** Ty-Foofnir is both named after and heavily inspired by Fafnir, a dwarfish prince who was transformed into a dragon by greed and cursed treasure. He is the dragon killed by Siegfried in some versions of the story. ** Goomarich's name is a play on the ancient Germanic name Gumarich. Because "Sigoom" sounded too weird. ** Jotundra Valley's name is a play on "tundra" and "jötunn." ** Sniffleheim Keep's name is a play on "sniffle" and "Niflheim." Category:Games Category:Fan Games Category:Mario (series) Category:Paper Mario (series) Category:Role-Playing Games Category:Community Projects Category:Collabs